Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Emerie
“I’m sticking around tonight, Em,” Pauline, the long-time night shift dispatcher says. “Things have been totally insane since I got here, and even as fast as I am, I’ve had a helluva time keeping up.”
“I appreciate it. Seems I always learn something new from you, so that’s a plus,” I tease, sitting down at the desk I normally use. Grabbing my headset from the desk drawer, I slip it on and then plug it into the phone before saying, “911, what’s your emergency.”
And… just like that, I’m sending out every available fire truck and ambulance from not only Possum Creek but also Maggie Valley to deal with a horrible, multi-vehicle accident and pile up on Blue Ridge Parkway. The road itself is winding and curvy since it goes through the mountainous region, and it seems that the accident occurred when someone coming down had their brakes ice over, causing them to lose control and strike another vehicle head-on, who then struck several of the many bikers that traverse the parkway whenever it’s nice outside. The technical term is brake fade, but Levi told me the brakes iced over so that’s what I still use to this day.
Hours later, I slump back in my chair and look over to see Pauline’s normally pristine hair, sticking up like one of those troll dolls that Levinia loves so much. Giggles erupt, a combination of the sheer nightmare that accident turned into, as well as how she looks. “P-p-pauline, you look like Poppy right now,” I manage to stammer.
“Poppy?” Who the hell is Poppy?” she asks, staring at me. “Wait, are you talking about that pink troll from those movies Levinia loves so damn much? Let me take a look.” She grabs the mirror she keeps inside the top of her desk and shrieks when she sees her hair. “Oh, good giggly wigglies, Em, you coulda said something before now!”
“When was I supposed to do that?” I sass back. “We’ve literally been working this one accident since I tapped in, and you know it.”
“Well, this just won’t do,” she fusses, taking her headset off and switching her availability to show she’s not. She then grabs her little makeup bag that holds enough stuff to get a woman ready for a night out on the town and heads to the restrooms. “I’ll be back once I’ve fixed myself.”
“You do that, I’ll take care of this,” I tease, waving my hand between our two desks while praying nothing else major or catastrophic comes through.
The original accident spawned multiple others to call in and lodge their complaints as people became impatient due to the unavoidable delays. Life flight, which was needed more than once, had a challenging time finding somewhere safe to land, and the ambulances were running non-stop. All I know is Bud and Talbot will make a killing in tow fees tonight, although several of them were on vehicles who had people die in them.
But being that this is a small town, I know that Bud will probably waive that fee for the family because he’s done it in the past. He and Talbot are competitors, but in this instance, Talbot is the same way as Bud. In fact, their rates are the same and they’re bowling partners down at the alley where they’re on a league.
Small towns, gotta love them, right? Sighing, I take a sip of my water, grateful that I had my insulated bag with me, so I didn’t lose my voice while talking so much. Seeing that there are currently no calls, I pull out my sandwich and take a bite. I’m able to eat the whole thing before the console lights up and work starts all over again.
“911, what’s your emergency?” I ask as a second light comes on.
Hurry up, Pauline, please hurry up, I mentally chant as several more come on while I’m dealing with the first call.
Thankfully, by the time Pauline comes rushing back into the dispatch office, I’ve handled two out of the three callers and am on the third one, dispatching the police to handle a rowdy patron down at the Possum Valley Bar and Grill. At this time of the night, the grill part is shut down, but not the bar and evidently, Mr. Lucas, a nightly patron, decided to tie one on due to the fact it would’ve been his and Mrs. Shirley’s fiftieth wedding anniversary today if she hadn’t passed away last year.
* * *
“I’m going to need a week of sleep and a deep tissue massage,” I mumble as I slump on the couch in our breakroom. Since I already ate all my food, I grab a bag of chips and a soda to keep me going. Tonight’s been intense as hell, so I haven’t really been able to study for my next ride-along with the Maggie Valley crew.
Pulling out my index cards, I start going over them as I snack on my chips and sip my Coke. I don’t normally drink soda, but I need the caffeine hit right now, that’s for dang sure! As I work through the scenarios that I’ve jotted down, I verbally say what the procedures and processes are that I need to do in order to stabilize the patient for transport to the hospital.
“I’m so grateful to Shane for giving me his old study things,” I murmur as I toss everything in the trash and prepare to head back to work. As I make it to my desk, I hear my phone chime and see a text from Memaw.
“Pauline, you’ve got to see this,” I say as I open up the picture and hold it out to her.
“That girl of yours is hysterical! How is she not scared of them?” Pauline asks as she gazes at the picture showing Levinia holding up one of the chickens.
“She was at first, but the one she’s holding, Bonnie, was given to her when she was just a chick, so she’s raised her. Whenever Bonnie sees her, she goes absolutely nuts and follows her around, clucking and waving her wings until Levinia picks her up and carries her.”
“She’s something else, that’s for sure,” Pauline murmurs, a grin on her face. I see the console light up and head back to my own desk.
Time to get back to it, I guess, but dang, this night needs to end and soon!